Developer(s): Game ArtsPublisher(s): Square Enix (JP, US), Game Arts (JP)Genre: RPGWikipedia: LinkGame review links: GameRankings: 79/100, Metacritic: 77/100Game description: Grandia III is the latest installment in the long-running Square Enix role-playing series and the sequel to Grandia II. You play as Yuuki, a 16-year-old boy with aspirations of being a pilot. When you discover that a powerful adversary is bent on world domination, it is up to you and the members of your party to find and stop him. Grandia III adds new combos and options in battle, and it also streamlines the magic system from earlier versions.
Set in a fantasy world where technology has allowed man to fly in magic-powered aircraft, a boy named Yuki is determined to become a great pilot like his idol, the Sky Captain Schmidt. When he and his mother encounter a girl named Alfina who has the ability to communicate with the spiritual guardians of the world, they become involved in the plot to discover the secrets of the world's past and face an evil rogue guardian named Xorn. Despite the success of the previous games, there was no European release for Grandia III.

6GB DDR3-1333, FMV cutscenes will have glitches when using Direct3D9 & 11 (Hardware) Renderers. Press F9 during these scenes to switch to Software mode, or enable the manual gamefix: "Switch to GSdx software rendering when FMV plays" under Config > Emulation Settings > Game Fixes. Other than that, the game does run great with no noticeable drop in frame rates.

Trivia

Known Issues

Shadow Artifacts

Status:Active

Type: Minor

Description: Artifacts appear in shadows during cutscenes and in battles if Renderer is set to either of the "Direct3D (Hardware)" options.

Workaround: Go to Config > Video (GS) > Plugin Settings and set the Renderer to "OpenGL (Hardware)", or any of the "(Software)" options. Or press the F9 key while playing to temporarily switch to Software mode during cutscenes and battles.